Eagles Open Practice Window For Edge Rusher Bryce Huff
The Eagles currently find themselves a bit thin at Edge Rusher. They lost Brandon Graham for the season, and Bryce Huff has been on the IR with a wrist injury for the past several games. That left them with just Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, and Jalyx Hunt.
Nolan Smith played 95% of the snaps vs the Steelers and 73% of the snaps vs the Panthers. Sweat was over 60% in both games. Hunt has been playing around 40% of the snaps.
Smith and Sweat have played very well in increased roles. Smith got up to 5.5 sacks last week, Sweat is up to 8. Hunt has also flashed a little bit in his limited role. But relying on just 3 guys off the edge is not ideal. Luckily they are getting some help. The Eagles have activated the practice window for Bryce Huff, signaling he will return from his IR stint soon.
Bryce Huff Not Living Up To Hype
Huff had been a massive disappointment before going on the IR. They brought him in thinking he would be the new Hasson Reddick. His pressure rate, albiet in a limited role, was near the top of the league for the Jets last season. Huff was their biggest move on defense this off-season.
The Eagles did not see that same guy. It took him weeks to even get a single stat, and his snap count dwindled every week. Through 10 games he had only 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles, and 14 total pressures.
But at the very least, they are getting another body just so they can keep Smith and Sweat fresh. If he takes 35% of the snaps, and Hunt takes 35% of the snaps, Sweat and Smith can each take 65%. Still a decent workload, but they get some rest throughout the game.
Expecting Huff to come back and suddenly be effective again is asking too much. He was not playing well before the injury and was not in great favor with Vic Fangio, but just having the reinforcements could help the Eagles as they make their final push for the 1-seed, and then start their playoff journey.
They have 21 days to activate him. So we may not necessarily see him this this week, or even next week. He will be available for the playoffs at the very least though. We will see what his snaps look like when he does return.